Review 1232: Agriturismo Il Passo degli Ulivi, Apartment

When

November 2004, 4 friends stayed there, and I spent one night

Location

I rented two apartments at Il Passo degli Ulivi for two couples of friends visiting us. We could not put them up for the week-end so we decided to choose one of the many agriturismi in the area for them. We chose a new one, and we ended up spending the night there too, after a long dinner and a lot of drinks! =o)

The agriturismo is composed of three apartments, all of the same size and structure. Each has a double bedroom, a bathroom and a large kitchen, and a double sofabed.

Each apartment is very well furnished, with taste, in the old country style, and the kitchens are very well equipped. Everything was really clean.

We only spent one day there, so we can only report our impressions, but our friends were enthusiastic.

The place is in the real countryside, and it has a spectacular view on the village of Civitella Marittima (my village! =o) ).

The garden is huge, but more than a garden is just the outdoors: the place is a real farm, with lots of olive trees.

I got to meet the owners who were picking olives. My boyfriend knew them already for reasons connected to his business. The lady, Antonella, is superfriendly, and she had no problems with us sleeping over and she didn't charge any extra-money for the two of us.

She even brought us fresh pastries in the morning!

In front of the main doors there is a porch, with tables and chairs.

There is a swimming pool, which must be a nice thing in the summertime.

It's a lovely place for groups to go. I think they give a discount to people renting more than one apartment at the time, at least they did with us! =o)

Nearby Amenities

The place is a bit isolated. There are many other farms in the area, but it's recommendable to arrive there before dark if you do not know the roads.

We are local, so we cannot really be impartial about the beauty of the area. Anyway, just to give an idea of what is nearby, they are half-way between Siena and Grosseto along the ancient road of the salt.

Monte Antico is close by, and so are Montalcino and Val D'Orcia.

The coast is just a short drive away, but what for us living in the area is a short drive for other people might seem long. The guests staying at my property, Casina di Rosa, in Civitella, visit both Maremma and the Sienese area. They are both really conveniently situated.

I think Il Passo degli Ulivi is a very nice place to go to if one wishes to relax in a very quite place and go on daytrips to the main sites.

I recommend it, because I liked both the place and the service.

The House/Apartment

I think I might have already wrote about this, anyway, there are 3 apartments. I saw two of them. They are new, well furnished and well equipped. There is a double bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen with a sofabed. There is a porch and a huge garden with a swimming pool and a BBQ.

Garden

The swimming pool is shared, and the porch is in front of the doors, but I think that one of the apartments has a private terrace.

Furnishings/Cleanliness/Living Areas

The furniture is brand new (I think they had just opened). The sofabed was quite comfortable, I think it's an Ikea model. The apartments were very clean and we had lots of room to sit all together.

Bedrooms/Bathrooms

I didn't sleep on the beds, but I heard no complaints. I slept on a sofabed and it was very comfortable. The bathroom was very clean and functional. It seems in stone, really cool.

Kitchen

The kitchen is really well equipped. There is even a coffee maker for American coffee.

Problems or Bonuses

No bad surprises, the good one was the really nice and friendly owners.

Agency and Representatives (and price)

We contacted the owner because my boyfriend knew her because of his job. I think they speak some English.

Compared to what you see on the website, the place is really much better. The bad quality of the photos really do not represent the charm of the place. The website will be restyled soon (by my boyfriend Marcel =o) ).

For a week-end in this season our friends paid less than €50 per day, but I do not know the exact price. The standard is 50 per day in low season, but she gave us a discount because we booked two apartments.

Do you recommend this vacation rental to others?

Definitely recommended ... even if they are competitors for Casina di Rosa!!! ;o)

Things to do in this area

I recommend a stop in Civitella Marittima for a nice meal at la Locanda nel Cassero. All our guests say that it's the best restaurant they have eaten at.
And I agree, it's one of the best, it is not too expensive and it is really neat. The owner, Alessandro, is fluent in English.

Another recommended restaurant nearby, Pizzeria Trattoria in Monte Antico: it's the only one and it is quite close. Go before dark and visit the Castle. There is an amazing view over the river Ombrone valley.

This review is the opinion of a Slow Travel member and not of slowtrav.com.